Which of the following substances is primarily known for containing phosphorus in addition to carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen?

Nucleic acids are primarily known for their structure, which includes not just carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen, but also phosphorus. This is a key characteristic that distinguishes them from the other biological macromolecules. Nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA, have a backbone made of alternating sugar and phosphate groups, which are critical for their function in genetic information storage and transfer.

In contrast, lipids are primarily composed of fatty acids and glycerol and do not typically contain phosphorus, although certain types of lipids, like phospholipids, do include phosphate groups. Carbohydrates are made mainly of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (often in a ratio of 1:2:1) and do not contain phosphorus. Proteins consist of amino acids that contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, but they do not generally contain phosphorus either. Therefore, nucleic acids are uniquely identified by their phosphorus content along with carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen, making them the correct answer.